2012届普通本科毕业论文（设计）
Table of Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................... i 摘 要 ......................................................................................................................... ii
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 1. Literature Review .................................................................................................... 2 2. Plato’s Philosophical Rhetoric ................................................................................ 4 2.1 Plato?s Philosophy .................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Plato?s Philosophical Rhetoric ................................................................................. 5 3. Plato’s Philosophical Rhetoric in The Republic ..................................................... 7 3.1 “Theory of Forms” Guiding to Find the Good......................................................... 7 3.2 “Dialectic”................................................................................................................ 9
3.2.1 On “Justice” .................................................................................................. 9 3.2.2 On “Education of Dialectic” ....................................................................... 11 3.2.3 On “Philosopher-king” ................................................................................ 12 3.2.4 On “Poetry” ................................................................................................. 14 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 16 Bibliography ............................................................................................................... 17 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... 19
Abstract
Many scholars have investigated Plato?s ideas. However, Plato?s “Philosophical rhetoric” receives insufficient study. His “philosophical rhetoric” is guided by his core philosophy “theory of Forms” which divides the world into two, the visible world and the intellectual world. Every subject in the visible world possesses a form in the intellectual world. The form is the highest knowledge, namely truth and good. According to Plato, the highest knowledge is only to be found by the philosopher. And only mastered by the philosopher who is the right people to reach truth and good, rhetoric can be correctly used.
This paper, based on the available research findings, discusses Plato?s “Philosophical rhetoric” reflected in The Republic through documentary research method. This paper discusses from two large aspects, including Plato?s “theory of Forms” as the guiding principle for “Philosophical rhetoric” and “dialectic” as the specific practice of “Philosophical rhetoric”. In detail, this paper focuses on the four primary topics justice, education, philosopher-king, and poetry to analyze “philosophical rhetoric”. With the help of existing research findings, this paper concludes that Plato?s “Philosophical rhetoric” is to be used to find truth and good.
Key words: Plato, philosophical rhetoric, theory of Forms, dialectic
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摘 要
关于柏拉图的研究很多，但根据现有文献，对于柏拉图“哲学修辞”的研究的成果明显不足。作为古希腊修辞史上一位有影响力的修辞学家，柏拉图对于修辞的看法深受其哲学思想的影响。柏拉图的“哲学修辞”在应用上,以哲学基础“理念论”为指导，强调真理性，追求真、善、美；使用分析综合辩证的方法深入认识事物现象的本质属性, 并以此体现修辞的真正力量。
本文运用文献法，以现有的研究成果为基础，研究柏拉图《理想国》体现的哲学修辞思想。《理想国》在整体布局上是以“理念论”为指导，以柏拉图的“辩证法”为修辞策略来体现柏拉图的“哲学修辞思想”；具体来看，又是从四个重要话题“正义”、“教育”、“哲学王”以及“诗歌”中来体现。本文结论表明柏拉图的“哲学修辞”是以追求真理为原则的修辞。
关键词：柏拉图；哲学修辞；理念论；辩证法
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Introduction
The Republic is Plato?s masterpiece written in his mature phase when Plato?s philosophical idea evolves a comprehensive system. The contents in The Republic are divided into ten books by the later scholars for the purpose of better understanding. It is crowned as the perfect system of Plato?s philosophy, covering his “theory of Forms”, “epistemology”，and “dialectic”.
Although Plato has made indelible contribution to western rhetoric, his view on rhetoric is controversial throughout the times. Plato has been either regarded as an objector to rhetoric for his criticism towards the “sophists” or thought to be ambiguous about rhetoric for his changeable attitude in different works. Scholars in the modern times have done certain efforts to study his rhetorical view, leaving unsolved questions and limitation, though. This paper, based on the existing available research findings of many scholars, aims to investigate Plato?s “philosophical rhetoric” in The Republic by documentary research method.
This paper first introduces literature review in which the two concepts “philosophical rhetoric” and “philosophy of rhetoric” will be differentiated and the current study on Plato?s “philosophical rhetoric” will be presented. Then, Plato?s philosophy is to be introduced in the second part. In the third part, this paper focuses on detailed analysis about Plato?s “philosophical rhetoric” in The Republic. The conclusion comes forth with an acknowledgement and a bibliography following.
In the near decade, people?s attention turns to Plato?s rhetoric again. Scholars both at home and abroad are more likely to recognize his “philosophical rhetoric”. The concept “philosophical rhetoric”, although used by some scholars, receives no clear definition. And existing researches just focus on a large sense. This paper, by defining “philosophical rhetoric” and analyzing its concrete practice in The Republic, improves the existing defects, and helps to give a better understanding about Plato?s “philosophical rhetoric”.
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